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Highplaners
Highplaners (Exciviuum, ''s. Excivis) are entities that inhabit the dimension known as the Highplane (''Excel Ominiium). Highplaners are responsible for the creation of the dimension humanity and the universe and humanity reside in, known as the Homeplane (Homino Ominiium). Traditionally, Highplaners have been venerated and deemed 'Divines', although contemporary thought regards them as beings of considerable authority and insight, although not the moral authorities they are portrayed as earlier throughout history. Thus, many people today consider them worthy of respect as a source of wisdom, but not necessarily glorification, and therefore reject the notion of divine intervention and viewing the Highplaners as any sort of moral authority. Highplaners have, as Divines, been attributed to various ideas and aspects of the Homeplane, such as Goreth for time and authority, Colover for wisdom and logic, Aakahd for the air, sky, and freedom, etc. While there may be some truth to this concept, for example Goreth may actually have developed the concept of time, and Colover may actually be responsible for human sentience and intelligence, these attributions are believed to be largely myth. Contemporary thought dismisses the idea of any Highplaner having more influence on the Homeplane than another, and rejects the concept of divine intervention altogether. Therefore, without divine intervention, the Homeplane is thought to be independent and self-sustaining. History Although the Vreloth never outright mentions any family structure amongst the Divines, it has been commonly accepted in the Common Pantheon historically that Goreth (Goretheus), Colover (Cseratheus), and Frothar (Ferotheus), and the (?) Divines Utsekayo and/or Meira and Alekaar are siblings as well. Astora was portrayed as the personification of the Homeplane and the world - a creation of the other Divines who preceded her. Goreth Goreth, (Alteric. Goretheus) the Timekeeper, the Architecht, the All-Seer and occasionally referred to poetically as the Trident-Beard, is a Highplaner who is revered as a Divine associated with time and authority. History Goreth was christened 'Goretheus', alternatively spelled 'Gorotheus' by the Altriied theological scholar Delmen Novoltrem in the first Book of the Vreloth. The name is derived from the Ancient Alteric words for great - gorem - and god/divine - theus. Goreth was viewed as the leader of the Divine Pantheon by the First Altriied Empire as well as most other concurrent cultures from the time of the Divine Revelation in 1032 BE until at least 540 BE, before being gradually replaced by Ferotheus (Frothar) as the supposed leader of the Pantheon among the Altriieds. Goretheus eventually became more associated with Argen culture and subsequent Argonen cultures - Rohren, Zardigen, Dwellien, etc. around the late 4th and 3rd centuries BE. After the Sanctum of Ferotheus was declared the official spirituality of the Altriied Empire in 428 BE by Empress Viveca II Lexora, tensions between the Argen and Altriied Empires escalated, culminating in several conflicts, dubbed the Holy Wars, the first of which was from 393 - 386 BE, and the ninth and last of which ended in the Everten Concordat. Since the Everten Concordat in 1 BE, Goretheus has been integral to all Argonen cultures - known as Goreth in Argen, Gorett in Rohren, Gorat in Zardigen, and Geiret in Dwellien, the divine personification of Goreth has been a cultural and spiritual icon in all of these cultures. The Sanctum of Goreth was the official spirituality of the Kingdom of Argewald from after the Everten Concordat in 1 BE until the fall of the kingdom in 548 at the Battle of Dunmar. The subsequent reformation of the Kingdom of Argewald in 873 briefly designated the Sanctum of Goreth as its official spirituality until 916, when King Aedof III declared the Sanctum of Klevaer (Colover) as the official spirituality. Argewald alternated between being ruled by Gorethien and Coloveren monarchs for the next few centuries, even having no official spirituality for two separate periods from 1095 - 1102 and 1236 - 1259. The 1440 constitution declared the Sanctum of Goreth to be the official spirituality of the Kingdom of Argewald. However, a 1632 amendment made by the (?) and approved by King Owen IV and Queen Alba II reprimanded the clause and replaced the Gorethien Sanctum with the Unitarian Sanctum, officially the Unitarian Fellowship, as the official spirituality of Argewald as a result of the Enlightenment Period. Another amendment over two centuries later in 1874 officially declared Argewald to be a secular nation, however the ruling royal family still formally belongs to the Unitarian Fellowship. Although the Unitarian Fellowship has surpassed the Gorethien Sanctum in membership in Argewald since at least 1830, Gorethiens, whether cultural or traditional, comprise almost 30% of the Argen population today. Goreth has also been integral to Rohren culture for over two millennia since the conception of Rohrenauw. The Gorethien Sanctum (Rohr. Hiegdum den Gorett) was declared the official spirituality of the Kingdom of Rohrenauw by the first king Rudolf. At times throughout the nation's early history, the Gorethien Sanctum was the exclusively sanctioned spirituality, notably from the reign of Waldemar the Arrogant in 592 until the reign of Magdalen I in 704, and again during the reign of Jan II from 933-35. During the mid 11th to 13th centuries, however, the Sanctum of Colover (Rohr. Hiegdum den Kluugvar, sometimes spelled Kluugvaar) gained popularity, attributed to the success of Saint Elrik (1042 - 1118). The Bloedelf royal family, which reigned from 1110 until 1432 belonged to the Sanctum of Kluugvar, with the exception of Jan V who was a Unitarian. Gorethien Rohrens remained numerous during this period, and tensions between the two groups escalated into several riots and even massacres during the 12th to 14th centuries. The Gorethien Sanctum returned to being the official spirituality of the Rohren Empire upon its formation by Henrik the Unifier. Konrad the Mad, great-grandson of Henrik, declared the Sanctum of Gorett to be the exclusive spirituality of the nation once again for less than a decade and attempted to suppress other spiritualities with limited success. During the Enlightenment Period, spanning from the late 15th century until the mid 18th century, many Rohrens adopted the ideologies of the Unitarian Fellowship, and others even adopted those of the Freethinkers and embraced aspiritualism. Many Freethinker and Unitarian scholars of the period are Rohren. In modern Ruhreg, however, a large minority of Rohrens, almost 45%, are either culturally or traditionally Gorethien and belong to the Sanctum of Gorett. Ruhreg possess both the largest number of and proportion of Gorethiens of any nation modernly. Goreth (Zard. Gorat) has also been integral to Zardigen culture since at least the 4th century AE if not before. Prior to the spread of the Pantheon to the region of modern day Zardogey - then referred to as the Free Realm of Augewald - many Zardec tribes who migrated the the region from Eastern Roewald in the Argen-Cortriium Empire either revered other Divines or, in some cases, outright rejected the Pantheon in favor of deifying ancestors and warriors, with evidence of figures such as 'God-kings'. However, early Rohren and Argen saints spread the Gorethien Sanctum to many of the Zardec tribes, especially those around the Eldret river beginning in the mid 2nd century. Many tribes embraced Gorat, including the Principality of Velhus, founded in 570, which became the center of the Gorethien Sanctum in Augewald. Velhus forcibly spread the Gorethien Sanctum by amalgamating other tribes until being conquered by Rohrenauw in 719. Under Rohren rule, the Gorethien Sanctum flourished in the region, and other spiritualities were often discouraged. However, East of the Eldret river, which at the time of the 9th to 12th centuries was predominately inhabited by Volgeys, were much more reluctant to embrace the Gorethien Sanctum. The Western Volgeys of the region favored the Volgey Pantheon - which was and still is derived principally from the standard Common Pantheon with minor differences. As a result, the Western Volgeys, like most other Volgeys, tended to belong to the Sanctum of Kodatek. Over the course of the next few hundred years leading to Zardigen independence from Rohrenauw, the Volgeys East of the Eldret gradually either converted to the Gorethien Sanctum, forcibly or voluntarily, or migrated further East. Zardogey gained independence from Rohrenauw in 1183, and formed its own official Sanctum of Gorat, which the royal family - the House of Kamphaus - belonged to. Zardogey was largely unaffected by the Coloveren Movement of the 10th to 15th centuries which saw many former Gorethiens convert to the Coloveren Sanctum (Zard. Helegum du Klœgever) in other Argonen and Western Enshelm nations. Thus, the nation remained predominately Gorethien until the Enlightenment Period, but accepting of other spiritualities nonetheless. Helgens in the Northern (?) Mountains have long belonged to the Sanctum of Frothar, and no attempts at forceful conversion were ever made at the behest of the rest of Zardogey. However, Zardogey was a thriving center for reform at the time of the Enlightenment. The Unitarian Fellowship and, to a lesser extent, the Freethinkers Movement, were very prevalent during this time. After Cordeu, Zardogey was the nation most influenced by the Freethinkers Movement as well. The presence of the Sanctum of Gorat has dwindled in the past few centuries since the Enlightenment in Zardogey, but still remains very culturally relevant. About 25-30% of Zardigens, mostly in Western and Southwestern Zardogey, consider themselves either culturally or traditionally Gorethien, while and additional 30-33% consider themselves either culturally or traditionally Unitarian. In Dwellien culture, Goreth, referred to as Geiret, is not typically seen as the preliminary Divine, but rather as a co-head of the Pantheon. Many Dwelliens have recognized Colover (Dw. Kluvray) as the other leader, however Frothar (Dw. Fardwen), Aerlor and Marweld, the Dwellien Divine of the Sky and Divine of the World respectively, who are often recognized as the equivalents to Aakahd and Astora but technically predate them, are also viewed as the co-heads. Dwellien spiritual history is not well-documented, mostly due to being under Argen rule continously since the 13th century, however there have been a few notable saints and scholars of Goreth, indicating that the Gorethien Sanctum has maintained a presence continously for over two millennia in Edenwell. According to modern statistics, less than 20% of Dwelliens belong exclusively to the Sanctum of Geiret, however, of the 70% of the population that does belong to a spirituality, whether for cultural or traditional reasons, more than 50% of them recognize Geiret as an important figure in their respective spirituality. Lore As described in the early few books of the Vreloth, which is the textual foundation for the Common Pantheon, Goreth or Goretheus is referred to as the 'Timekeeper' and the 'Father of Time', as well as the 'All-Seer' referring to his alleged ability to see through time - past, present, and future - and as the Architecht, referring to him conceiving time. Although the first three books of the Vreloth never outright mentions Goreth or Goretheus in relation to any of the other Divines, it is often believed in the Common Pantheon that he, along with Cseratheus, Ferotheus, Domereus, and Oriientheus (Colover, Frothar, Alekaar, and Utsekayo/Meira) created the Divine Asteres (Astora, and subsequently the world and the rest of the Homeplane. Goreth is also portrayed as being the father of Aetheus (Aakahd) in the lore of the Common Pantheon. Astora is often thought of as the mother of Aakahd, as well as all of the other Divines besides the 'original Divines' who created her. Colover Colover (Alteric. Cseratheus) the Logician, the Loremaster, is a Highplaner who is revered as a Divine associated with logic, wisdom, intelligence, memory, and intuition. History Colover was christened 'Cseratheus' by the Altriied scholar Delmen Novoltrem following the Divine Revelation. The name derives from the Alteric word 'csera', translating to mind or sometimes conscience. Cseratheus was regarded by the Altriieds as a lesser Divine than Goretheus or Ferotheus, and became associated with scholars and intellectuals as opposed to the commoners or even the ruling class. Although there were some exceptions within the Altriied Empire, such as the Frothar Frothar (Alteric. Ferotheus) the Arbiter, the Proprietor, is a Highplaner who is revered as a Divine associated with righteousness and labour. Tsukage Tsukage, also known as the feminine personification Meira, the Father/Mother of All, the Benefactor, the Lover, is a Highplaner who is revered as a Divine associated with love and beauty. Alekaar Alekaar, the